Game Rewind: Thunder beats Warriors in Game 1 … you worried yet?

OK, we all knew that was possible, the Warriors losing Game 1. Oklahoma City is the first team they’ve played in these playoffs who are a serious threat to beat the Warriors. But be honest: when’s the last time the Warriors looked this vulnerable?

The Warriors are in trouble like they’ve never been. The Thunder didn’t play a great game. But they had the edge. They were physical. They were hungrier. They were more clutch. We just don’t see teams outshine the Warriors in these areas.

Click the video for The Game Rewind … Click more for some other takeaways from Game 1

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The only thing limiting Kevin Durant’s legacy is that he hasn’t won a championship. That’s not entirely his fault. But with nine seasons under his belt, that’s the last level. Beating a 67-win San Antonio Spurs, knocking off Stephen Curry and the 73-win Warriors, then toppling LeBron James — that’s a legacy booster for real.

The scariest part: Durant knows it.

Yeah, he missed 20 of his 30 shots. But he hit the big one when it counted. But before that, he was excellent on defense. He played that end of the court like he knows this is his chance to really do something special.

Yeah, Warriors fans should be scared of that.

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One interesting element made obvious after Game 1: lots of people are hoping the Warriors lose.

Former players. Current players. Other fan bases. Warriors fatigue is pretty high right now. Watching them get outplayed had a lot of people feeling good.

It makes sense. The Warriors have dominated the basketball conversation for so long. They’ve come out of nowhere to get praise most teams never get. They’re being compared with the greatest ever, a slight jab to the teams who feel like they are on the Warriors level. And the Warriors have a lot of swag — which depending on who is looking is seen as arrogance or insulting. The Warriors are a hard pill to swallow for many.

Certainly, the Warriors’ fan base is huge. But the anti-Warriors base is significant.

Part of that is what happens when you’re so good. The top team becomes the target for venom. But there seems to be extra venom towards this franchise.

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The Warriors were clearly rattled in Game 1. Got me to thinking: why?

April 10 is the reason. That’s the last time the Warriors played a real threat, when they went to San Antonio and won.

To be sure, the Warriors have played good teams since then. But they haven’t played any teams who they couldn’t snap their fingers and impose their will. They certainly haven’t played teams who can impose their will on them.

That’s what the Warriors ran across in OKC. And they didn’t handle it well.

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The Warriors have to get something from Festus Ezeli this series. He is their answer to Steven Adams and the Thunder’s combination of size and athleticism.

Some of it is on Steve Kerr to trust him more. Work him in somehow. In Game 1, Ezeli didn’t look good and Kerr just gave up on him.

With no Ezeli, the Warriors have two options: more Andrew Bogut (not a good) or more Draymond Green at center (not a sustainable idea).

Bogut can’t keep up with the Thunder’s front line. They are too active. And if he gets pulled out of the key, it’s curtains. He had just three rebounds in 17 minutes.

The Warriors’ small lineup actually did pretty well. But Green expends a lot of energy banging against Adams inside. The Thunder will go big against the Warriors’ Death Lineup. How long can Green hold up against Adams.